Agape
by Sizdothyx
Summary: Agape is also known as Eros. As Philia. As Storge. Uzumaki Naruto knows it as the things he feels every time he delves into Yamanaka Ino's eyes. A series of drabbles devoted to the pair of Konoha's most surprising blonds.
1. Eros

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

**Written in: **A hundred word long rabbles format. And then, a hundred of those.

**Author is: **Insane for doing this.

**Author says: **That these are drabbles, spurs of the moment, awkward little snippets I wrote while trying to deal with Naruto and Ino's relationship. They are not supposed to make sense, just comment on their characters and adventures. What follows, fellow readers, is a manifesto of their lives that is supposed to be read lightly. Or not. They are supposed to be enjoyable.

**Readers should: **Read, enjoy, and review, of course.

* * *

**Introduction:** The first time the two meet and actually _talk_, they act like the children that they never had the chance to be. Ino pulls a stray lock of hair behind her ear and smiles to him, offering him her hand. Naruto's eyes follow her hand gesture and stare at it like it is a rushing, very lethal kunai until he finally scrounges up one of his unique, wide grins and returns the gesture with a goofy chuckle erupting from his throat.

"Hi, I'm Uzumaki Naruto!"

"I know." She says lamely, yet he stares at her with a look on his face that makes her all warm and fuzzy inside.

**Love:** The first time Naruto confesses his love for Ino, he does in a battlefield with countless shinobi dying next to them and blood and guts and generic gore splattered around and _on _them. Yet he is almost knightly in his profession, falling on one knee even as he has just stabbed an enemy in the eye and telling her the three words that Ino had thought she'd hear in a luxurious bedroom at the top of a tower. Yes, Ino was a pragmatist like that.

"I love you."

She should feel surprised with his move, but she doesn't. "I love you too."

**Light: **Ino hates the daytime. It's too bright, all these annoying kids are out screaming for their parents or to each other, she has to work on her parents' shop and, let's be frank, the day is an assassination-botcher. How is someone supposed to sneak around in such good illumination? Plus, all the bars are closed. So, she hates the Light and everything about it. Strangely though, Naruto loves it. And since she loves Naruto, she's learned to not hate it.

…Much.

**Dark: **Naruto hates the nighttime. It's not too bright, no one is out there to break the silence, he doesn't have anything to do or someone to annoy and, let's be frank, the night doesn't give a shinobi as many chances as it does to his enemies. Especially when the shinobi is dressed in bright orange that screams 'kill me'. So, he hates the Dark and everything about it. Strangely though, Ino loves it. And since he loves Ino, he's learned to not hate it.

…Much.**  
**

**Seeking Solace: **It's the night of Naruto's birthday. Ino has decided to surprise her boyfriend by sitting on his bed wearing nothing on but a naughty smile. However, when she steers awake from her light doze, she decides to go find him and make sure he has a very good excuse for never showing up. Strangely, she finds him perched atop the Hokage monument, hugging his knees to his chest. His eyes glisten, and he notices her through his distress only because of his training.

"Ino," he sobs, "the Hokage never killed the Kyuubi…"

**Break Away: **Naruto talks. Ino listens. He goes on and on, about how he holds a demon lord in the pits of his stomach and how that's why the villagers hate him. He explains why he's up there with her when they both should be in the festival, celebrating. He explains that he won't hold it against her if she decides to push him off the mountain. When Ino says nothing and only glares at him with tear-shedding eyes that hold betrayal in them, he averts his gaze back to the festival lights beneath them.

When she gets up and leaves, he doesn't stop her.**  
**

**Heaven: **The wild twinkle in Ino's eyes as she kisses Naruto stuns him. After she has claimed him decisively by throwing him on the blanket covering the beach's sand and riding his lap, he realizes that he has no qualms about her taking the lead. He has never seen anything more majestic than the blue sky revealed to him through the curtain of her hair on his face.

"Beautiful," he whispers as their loving comes to a crescendo. He does not mean it for the skies spreading endlessly above them, but for the heavenly woman in his arms.

**Innocence: **Ino's agonized mania about persevering her innocence has troubled Naruto more than enough times, but deep down inside he finds it cute. She does countless things in order to feel young and untainted by the ninjas' way of life, like keeping her old bedroom filled with teddy bears and visiting her parents every Sunday for lunch with Naruto in tow. He doesn't do anything to stop it. He figures that it is a quirk of hers she'll either grow out of or keep.

That doesn't stop him from wishing he could do the same as her.

**Drive: **Ino smiles every time he hears Naruto yap away about his way of the ninja. "I won't back out!" "I keep my promises!" "I'm a ninja of my own way!" They are annoying little facts, but they are what drives Naruto to go further, to take down yet another obstacle, when everyone else fails. It's a drive as feral as few others', but with it, Naruto can always achieve greatness. And with him, so can Ino. "I won't back out, believe it!"

She ignores the strange looks she gets for those words.

**Breathe Again: **"No!" Naruto is practically violent as he slams his palm on Ino's chest and channels electrical chakra in order to jolt her system. It's all he can do to keep his treacherous imagination from making him vomit. _What if she dies? What if I never talk to her again? What if? What if? WHAT IF? _Tsunade literally has to slap him away from Ino before she can proceed to operate on the fallen kunoichi.

Ino's gasp as she is hungrily taking oxygen in is the sweetest thing Naruto has ever heard. With the sole exception of Ino's earlier admitting that she loves him back, of course.**  
**

**Memory: **Naruto does not know what to make of it when he finds out that Ino's room in her parents' house is filled with teddy bears. He toys with the idea of making fun of his girlfriend but discards it, finally taking up one of the smaller toys in his hands as he waits for her. He has a strange memory of a red haired woman smiling down on him as delivers a similar gift and utters goodbye.

When Ino finds him smiling sadly, she hugs him but asks nothing. He hugs her back, memories of his mother long forgotten once more.**  
**

**Insanity: **When Ino finds out that she is, in a sense, crazier than her sociopath boyfriend, she faints right away. When she comes to, it's in her lover's embrace. "Naruto," she asks, "what's wrong with me?" He explains to her that she has been seeing illusions and that they will go away only if she stops straining herself so much. She nods at his words and asks, "But what will you and the children do without me?" Naruto looks her dead in the eye.

"Ino… We don't have any children."

Even Naruto is unable to stop her maddened screams afterwards.

**Misfortune: **It's honest to God bad luck that Ino's first experience with Naruto's genitalia comes with him retrieving a kick to the crotch, courtesy of Ino's doing. Well, not really. Naruto has been affected by a disorienting genjutsu, thus registering Ino as the enemy. With her not exactly combatant abilities, all Ino can do is take over Naruto's body and attack the cheeky opponent for all that she is worth. The enemy is really surprised to see that her driving a knee in Naruto's groin did not affect the blonde before the emotionless boy slices her throat open.

Ino can not fight the blush when she gropes said groin to check if everything is okay down there.

**Smile: **Naruto did not fall in love with Ino because of her qualities, character, or womanly assets. It was her smile that did the trick for him, even though none of his male buddies believe him when he tells them so. Ino has the biggest, smoothest breasts of her generation and an ass to die for ("oh yeah, she also has a nice face", Kiba will amend), and Naruto only cares about her 'smile', of all things?

Naruto always rolls his eyes at Kiba's brash words and resumes his drinking with the image of Ino's smile on his mind.

**Silence: **It's the twins' delivery day, and Naruto couldn't be more excited."Come on, honey! The boys are coming! Push! Push!"Ino is squeezing his hand so hard that he can't feel his fingers, and his loud words are squelched under Ino's agonized birth screams, but he is still grinning like an idiot. His grin fades when Shizune informs them that she is going to perform a C-section before proceeding to do so. When she extracts their sons, the boys are neither crying nor taking delicious breaths of air. They are silent and still.

"Why aren't they making any noise?" Ino asks before horrible realization dawns upon her.**  
**

**Questioning: **"You've got to be kidding me." Ino accuses, but Naruto shakes his head in denial. "So you're telling me that you had nothing to do with this?" Naruto nods fervently in response. "So you didn't exploit my drunkenness and had me do… things?" Naruto nods about twenty times in rapid succession. "I won't be angry; I just want you to confess, Naruto. You must have done 'something'! Did you slip something in my drink? Use a Shintenshin of your own?"

Naruto shrugs and breaks his silence. "For the last time, you slept with Temari on your own doing!" **  
**

**Blood: **Naruto has been a Chuunin for a whole year, going away in B and the occasional A ranked missions almost once a week. With 'A' standing for 'Assassination', he has been used to slicing vertebrae, jugulars and deltoids, as well as getting showered in the rushing blood afterwards (because, even as a paid murderer, Naruto is good at his job but sloppy). It was disgusting at first, but one got used to it.

When Ino rushes through the hotel's door and into the bathroom trying to wash out the blood on her face and chest and hands, screaming "Why won't it come off," all Naruto can do is be there for her and hold her hair as she retches.

**Rainbow: **Ino has been suspecting that Naruto is going to propose to her anytime soon. He has been avoiding her, hanging out with lots of her friends instead of his buddies, and his bathroom magazine collection has gotten weird. Still, between military duties and part-time job, she pushes her suspicions to the back of her head. Hence, she is surprised when Naruto gets all excited about a spring rain that is about to stop, shedding a colorful rainbow on the skies above Konoha.

Naruto falls on his knee and shows her what has to be the most expensive ring she has ever seen. "Marry me?"

**Gray: **Naruto scowls at Ino's words. "No, I don't think it fits." Ino suggests something else, but Naruto frowns in contempt and discards her words again. "It's just not 'it', you know?" Ino scowls and tries once more. "Uh, no. That's definitely not it. I mean, look at her! How do you fit 'Tora' into that?" Ino yells a frustrated "Fine, you choose."

The two look over to the young kitten cleaning itself, oblivious to their conversation. Naruto smiles. "Gray. We'll call her Gray."

**Fortitude: **Ino is not certain what to expect when she opens up the door of the bathroom and steps in her and Naruto's bedroom clad in black lingerie that does wonders to her already shapely figure. She knows that Naruto had his share of women once, back when he was traveling with that pervert sensei of his, but the rumors about his sexual prowess (if any) have never been confirmed. She sees Naruto grin (not that boyish grin of his, but rather a rugged, confident one) and knows that she in the time of her life.

She walks with a limp for the next two days.

**Vacation: **"You know what?" Naruto suddenly asks, drawing Ino back to reality and away from her suntan induced reverie. "When we grow old and gray, I think I'll take you and the kids and move here. I'll build you a mansion or some shit and we'll live happily ever after. It will be just me, you, our two boys and girl and the sandy beach." She hums her consent and goes back to wondering. Finally, when she can't take it anymore, she climbs on his lap and discards the top of her bikini.

"Let's start with getting ourselves some children, hmm?"

**Mother Nature: **It's the third week of the B-ranked surveillance mission, and Ino and Naruto are cold and miserable. It has been raining cats and dogs for the last six days, justifying the Country of Water's name. The couple of shinobi is drenched in water, their hair plastered on their foreheads and their clothes clinging to them like leeches. And, to top everything off, the target they are tracing has not done anything suspicious so far.

"If this is the love of mother nature," Naruto grumbles to his lover, "then she can go screw herself."

**Cat: **It is Ino's birthday, and the two lovers have finally managed to stray away from all of Ino's friends for some time to themselves. Ino is blindfolded with Naruto's colorful tie and guided into their apartment, chuckling at her boyfriend's antics. "Look, I have no problem with kinky, but this is getting ridiculous, Naruto." Ino complains, but Naruto shushes her with a light kiss to the lips and a tug at his impromptu blindfold's knot.

Ino opens her eyes and sees Naruto holding the tiniest, gray colored kitten ever. "Happy birthday." **  
**

**No Time: **"For fuck's sake, bro. To be late like Kakashi is one thing, but to be late like _this? _Are you out of your fucking mind?" Naruto ignores Kiba's howling as the two glide over Konoha as their leaps take them from roof to roof. "She's gonna kill you, I just want you to know that." Naruto mumbles something about mutts and how they need to be put down but still realizes that he's in for the scolding of his life (to put it mildly).

After all, it's the bride that is supposed to be late to her wedding, not the groom.

**Trouble Lurking: **Ino stares into Naruto's blue eyes, and he stares right back into her teal ones. "You… You really love me?" Naruto asks for confirmation, and she smiles through the hand she has risen to hide her blushed cheeks. "Yes," she admits, "I really love you." Naruto moves in seconds and kisses her with more passion than she's ever seen him show in the seven months they've been dating, making her forget that they are in a battlefield.

As the crazed plant-like Akatsuki charges them with vines flailing, the two stop kissing, smile, and meet together in battle.

* * *

**_Author's Notes: _**25 gone, 75 to go. Happy holidays.


	2. Storge

_**Author's Notes: **"Agape" means "love" in Greek._

* * *

**Tears: **It is the day after Naruto's birthday, and he is still perched atop the Fourth's head uncertain of whatever he is supposed to feel. Does he hate her for leaving? Does he feel remorse for telling her? He contemplates jumping off the monument, but all he will manage to do is ruin his clothes, the otherwise lethal jump trivial to him thanks to his tenant's powers. Once more, his trained awareness detects Ino's presence behind him, so he turns to look at her.

"I don't care about the Fox," she says, tears running from her eyes. "I love you."

**Foreign: **Naruto finally finds Ino in her parents' shop and catches her humming a lovely tune. "Ino," he says as he gently grasps her from the shoulder, "we need to have a little talk." Ino smiles at him and asks for five minutes in order to clear herself up from the dirt she has been playing with. Naruto gently shakes his head and simply says "no time for that. I have a mission that's gonna take me overseas." When Ino asks what the problem about that is, Naruto's haunted look speaks by itself.

"They're sending me in the Broken Lands."

**Sorrow: **Tsunade squeezes Naruto's hand back one last time, the strain from her _Souzou Saisei _technique taking its vicious toll, and then goes limp. She dies content, surrounded by friends, and knowing that her most important persons are well taken for. Naruto squeezes until someone from the group gathered around Tsunade's deathbed whispers "she's gone." Then he gets up and, to everyone's surprise, leaves the room. Ino doesn't even budge. She makes certain Tsunade is properly handled, and heads to off for the training field in which Team 7 was born in.

Naruto shows his true sorrow in private.

**Happiness: **Ino has been busy working on an A-ranked mission report for the last three hours. The kitchen table on which she's working at is covered with scattered papers which, in turn, are covered with her neat letters. Finally, she takes a deep breath, gathers up the papers in a neat pile, and stacks them up in front of her. And then Naruto comes along wearing a sheet as a ghost costume, intent on waging a giggling war on her. She rolls and tumbles on the floor and sees her splendid report scatter in the apartment, yet does nothing other than laugh at her lover's antics.

Ino shows her true happiness in private.

**Under the Rain: **"I thought I'd find you here." Ino casually states as she sits next to Naruto under the ancient tree. She's barely finished her sentence when a lightning bolt crackles across the sky. She's drenched, her hair's a beautiful mess and her wet, figure-clinging clothes are doing wonders to her ample features. Naruto doesn't even notice her. She figures that's normal, so she plucks the sake bottle open, raises it high, and toasts. "To Tsunade." She drinks a deep gulp of the bittersweet alcohol, and then offers it to Naruto. Instead of taking the offer, he tastes the sake as he claims her lips.

The rain keeps falling. They don't notice it.

**Flowers: **"Red roses are a symbol of love, beauty, and passion. Poppies are a symbol of consideration in time of death. Lilies are used in burials as a symbol referring to resurrection. Daisies are a symbol of innocence." Ino's smile is that of a patient tutor, but it fades when she sees Naruto's baffled look. "Oh come on! This is the fourth time I've explained the symbolisms!"

"Ino, honestly; no matter how many times you explain that to me, I won't get it. Can you just tell me what your favorite flower is like I asked you to an hour ago?"

**Night: **He moves through the dark alleys and backyards like's he's been born to do so. He soars above trivial complications such as dogs and fences. He finally drops onto his target's backyard, climbs the wall, enters the target's bedroom and rids himself of clothing. With a sigh of content, Naruto slides next to an eager Ino. "Honestly, your dad's a Jonin – he probably knew I was coming the moment I left my home."

"Just because he knows I'm getting laid doesn't mean I have to rub it in, though." Ino says with a coy smile. **  
**

**Expectations: **Ino and Naruto are basking in the afterglow of their having sex for the first time. The two of them stare at the ceiling. Occasionally, they'll turn to look at each other, blush furiously, and then look back at the ceiling. Finally, Ino gathers up her courage and speaks up. "You know, me and the girls always discussed the boys' sexual prowess; well, everyone but yours, seeing how you were gone. I admit that the expectations were quite high. Sakura had bet that you wouldn't have the slightest idea of what to do with a woman."

Naruto gives her a dead-on stare. "I trained with the greatest womanizer of all time. Of course I know what to do with a woman!"

**Stars: **The 10th of October has resided, and in its trail is the 11th. The most surprising pair of Konoha is still perched atop the Fourth's head, their legs swinging lazily from one of his wild locks. When the lights from the festival ended, the celestial dome's wonders rushed to greet them gloriously. Endless stars above their heads, closure, and Ino on his shoulder, still with him despite the terrible, terrible truth.

_All in all, _Naruto thinks, _this has been a heck of a day._

**Hold My Hand: **Ino's looming back and forth on her backyard swing when Naruto comes by. Her dad made it for her by Lianas that he had miraculously managed to grow in the family shop, and even though she hasn't used it ever since she donned her license to kill around her forehead for the first time. Naruto steps in front of her, making her indolent swings come to a halt and, with that last motion lost, she can't stop feeling helpless. Naruto doesn't say anything. He doesn't need to. He simply holds her hand as they walk towards her father's funeral.

**Precious Treasure: **Naruto regards 4 things as sacred artifacts – of all the tiny trinkets he has in his possession, they are the only things she has seen him neatly caress. From Iruka, he has his forehead protector. He might have changed the cloth, but the plating and the memories remain. From Tsunade, he has the First's amulet. From Jiraya, he has a unique volume of Icha Icha where the main character is a blond brat who gets his happy ending with the blond, equally _alive _gal that he loves. And from Ino, he has…

Well, Ino. It's all he needs.

**Eyes: **They look into each other's eyes. They feel the radiated warmth and love there. Suddenly, Naruto whispers: "…as neere is Fancie to Beautie, as the pricke to the Rose, as the stalke to the rynde, as the earth to the roote." Ino inquires as to what he means. He vaguely gestures with his hand. "I asked Jiraya to explain what they mean by 'Eye of the Beholder' once. He answered with what I quoted, and I have to agree." She nods her understanding, but insists on her question.

"It means that you are beautiful."

**Abandoned: **"…Naruto?" His side of the bed is empty. His equipment is missing. Ino doesn't know what's wrong. She feels drugged; every shadow smirks at her and dances around her fevered form. She has never been more terrified in her life. She mumbles "help" and knows that no one's coming. "Help!" Her mouth won't open for her to scream. She can't breath. She can't… Can't… She's all alone. Abandoned.

When she wakes up, she is standing above the cradle she and Naruto bought when they found out she was pregnant. She's looking at her two beautiful babies.

**Dreams: **Only Shizune and Tsunade knew of it, but Naruto's dreams are downright scary. He dreams of ancient battlefields, twisted spoils of war and Konoha in ruins. Death, ashen skies and emerald flames are the only things left in the world. And _him._ _He's_ there, as glorious as a God can only hope to be as he twists reality itself into a gateway to Jigoku and claims it as his own. After he started dating Ino, the dreams resided.

He dreads of what will happen if he somehow loses her.**  
**

**Teamwork: **It has not reached the Bingo Books yet, but the Uzumaki-Yamanaka team is an absolutely terrifying pair in battle. No one could see it coming as well, not even the pair of brash lovers; after all, outside of combat the two bicker and play and give headaches to everyone else in their team. Yet in combat, the blondes' techniques seem to blend into one unique combat style that nothing can match. It's a little-known fact, but the Shintenshin passes through the Kage Bunshin. All Naruto has to do is mob against their enemy and suddenly Ino holds him immobile.

Teamwork at its finest.**  
**

**Standing Still: **Naruto dodges the Kusanagi's strike and viciously retaliates with a haymaker that sends the Uchiha tumbling away. The late Zabuza's Headcleaver meets a log as Naruto uses Kawarimi to appear ten feet high and dive Rasengan-first into Suigetsu. Ten feet away, Ino stabs Karin in the chest and leaps away from Juugo's mutated arm. A shrilling blast echoes in the field, sending water splashing everywhere. What neither blond calculated, however, was Sasuke moving away from Naruto and appearing behind Ino with murder in his eyes.

Sasuke's attack leaves Ino motionless and Naruto screaming her name.**  
**

**Dying: **Naruto rushes towards the prone form of Ino, but the hulking Juugo slams him away. He doesn't even halter as he gets up and rushes forward again. Sasuke slices a chunk of meat off of him, but he leaps away from the main blade and keeps his head – physically. Caught unaware and furious as he is, he fails to see a mutated bulldozer crash onto him with enough power to shove him into the ground. Attacks keep shoving him in and then Sasuke stabs him in the vertebra. Naruto relaxes and wonders if this is what dying feels like.

Then an image of Ino smiling flashes before his eyes and Uzumaki Naruto sees _red._ **  
**

**Illusion: **Akio says that he's hungry as he enters the room. "Ramen'll be ready in a minute, honey!" Ino smiles at him as she swirls the noodles inside the pot. Her eldest sits on the table next to his brother Junko and casually ruffles his hair and Junko smiles and shows him the picture he's made of their mother and papa. The twins remain silent as Naruto enters the room and hugs Ino from behind and then kisses Ino fully before his hands move lower in order to grope her bottom. "Naruto, not in front of the kids!" She pinpoints in the direction of their sons.

Naruto turns and sees two empty chairs. **  
**

**Creation: **"Mold your chakra. Twist it around and picture what you will. Feel the energy beneath your skin prick at your senses. Yes, I said prick, now stop snorting. Come on, focus. Okay. Good. Now, I want you to go through the seals. Okay, I'll wait for you to concentrate. Yes, I will be _that _way until you focus, this is serious, you know. You with me now? Okay. Go through Boar; Dog; Bird; Monkey; and Ram. Slam your hand on the ground and… Voila! Your Toad summon lies beneath or besides you. Cool, ain't it?"

Ino chuckles at Naruto and nods along. "Cool, yes. Useful, yes. Disgusting? Of course. I'm asking Kakashi to give me the Dog contract." **  
**

**Childhood: **Ino remembers the old days. She recalls her younger self in the playgrounds with Sakura. She sees a blond boy playing by himself in the sand. No one, not even Chouji and Shika play with him. Curious, she gets up and walks towards him. "Want to play with us?" She asks. He looks at her with doubt in his eyes and when she doesn't relent or laugh, happily nods. They are in the middle of playing 'tag' when a large hand grasps her by the waist and pulls her away. Same happens with Sakura. The two girls look terrified at Ino's father glaring daggers at Naruto. "Monster." He says, and turns to leave with the girls' hands in his own. They sadly wave goodbye.

In reality, Ino lays flowers on her father's casket. "I'll never forgive you for that, Dad. Goodbye."

**Sport: **Ino shakes her head."Play ninja? At this time and age? I don't think so. Okay, so it's snowing for the first time _ever. _I respect that. However, I just had a warm bath. There's no way I'm going out there in order to play around. Grab Kiba or Sakura for such an activity… Stop pouting!" She frowns. "Stop looking me like a puppy as well!" She rolls her eyes. "Damn it, Naruto, I don't want to!" She catches the undertone of Naruto's mumbling.

"_Fine_. I'll come down to play with you, you big baby. But first, you need to play with _me._" Her robe falls to the floor.

**Breaking the Rules: **Naruto has beencrashed, stabbed, burnt, electrified and then crashed once more for good measure. Nothing survives such an onslaught. Above him, Sasuke laughs contently. "He's finally dead!" The Uchiha laughs. Together with the only alive member in his team, they walk away. Sasuke reaches over to grab the scroll he dropped earlier in the fight, and then a very familiar _redness _nearly decapitates him. It's only the foreshadowing of the Sharingan that lets him live, and he doesn't need it in order to tell what is going on behind him. He already knows.

Naruto _cheated._

**Stripes: **It is the battle between the Konoha-Sand and the Akatsuki-controlled Rain-Stone alliances. A plant-like shinobi has just assaulted Naruto and Ino, and so far the battle is at a standstill. Then, right as each respective party falls back and prepares jutsu, the Akatsuki proves himself to be ambidextrous as he hits Ino with a whip-like vine and forms seals with his free hand. Naruto doesn't wait any longer – he channels the power of the Kyuubi and slashes the bastard in parts, sending green ooze and gore everywhere. Naruto stands still for a second, and then grins goofily. "Salad, anyone?"

It's such a corny line that Ino can't stop laughing.

**Two Roads: **"A ninja must bury his emotions." "Those who abandon the mission are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash." _Truer words could not be had, _Naruto thinks as he jumps from branch to branch in pursuit of Sasuke and Juugo. With a mad laugh, Sasuke, who holds Konoha's Forbidden Scroll, separates from Juugo, who has the unconscious form of Ino in his hands.

Naruto doesn't hesitate in choosing his opponent and follows Juugo – the day will come for the Uchiha traitor anyway, and when it does…

**Family: **Naruto keeps his hands on the glass that separates him from his wife. The medical room is sterile and free from edged objects, while the leather restraints have been made to obstruct the greatest escape artists. "It breaks my heart to see her like that," he says to on observant Sakura, and it really does. "She's locked inside her own head, living a life where…" Sakura envelops him in an amoral embrace which he doesn't return. "…Where she needs so much more than me."

Behind the glass, Ino celebrates her birthday with her stillborn twins, dead father, and an inside-the-room Naruto.

* * *

_**Author's Notes: **__50 done, 50 to go. Ino's madness is developed (yet not concluded), and so is her relationship with Naruto after the big secret is out – as requested. "Creation" really, really bothered me. Hope you enjoyed it. You'll have the next part soon, I promise.  
_


End file.
